title: Frontal sinus septations predict the presence of supraorbital ethmoid cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study is undertaken to determine if the presence or absence of multiseptated frontal sinuses is associated with the presence or absence of supraorbital ethmoid cells (SOECs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of prospectively collected data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty consecutive patients with chronic rhinosinusitis were identified from a prospectively collected database at a tertiary-referral institution as having full-sinus computed tomography (CT) scans. Preoperative or initial CT scans of the sinuses were reviewed, specifically identifying the presence or absence of supraorbital ethmoid air cells (SOECS) and frontal sinus multiseptated sections on coronal imaging. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-squared test to evaluate any association between the two structural entities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty total patients were identified, for a total of 120 sides. Of the 61 sides with frontal septations, 43 (70%) had SOECs present and 18 (30%) did not. Of the 59 sides without frontal sinus septations, 13 (22%) had SOECs present and 46 (78%) did not (chi squared = 28.3; P = 0.0000001). The difference in the presence of supraorbital ethmoid cells between whites and blacks is also statistically significant (chi squared = 4.23; P = 0.040).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of frontal sinus septations appears to be significantly associated with and predictive of the presence of supraorbital ethmoid cells. Thus, identifying frontal sinus septations on sinus CT is implicated with more complex anatomy of the frontal recess.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, Georgia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Brett T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Comer
authors.forename: Nathan W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Kincaid
authors.forename: Nathan J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Stilianos E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kountakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005005:Ethmoid Sinus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005626:Frontal Sinus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009916:Orbital Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Frontal sinus; anterior ethmoid artery; computed tomography; skull base; supraorbital ethmoid cells